Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/415

Rh kept all of his staff constantly moving along the line of march to see that it was closed up, and with map, made by his topographical engineer on the way, when wanted, and memorandum, he hourly apprised Lee of his progress. Dr. Hunter McGuire, his medical director, says of Jackson at this time:

By the middle of the day Jackson's advance reached the plank road, two miles southwest of Hooker's right flank under Howard. There he detached the Stonewall brigade to support Fitz Lee's cavalry in an advance toward Chancellorsville, along the forest enclosed road, to cover his farther movement, and then pushed on to the Orange turnpike, to a point northwest of Hooker's right and about two miles distant, which he reached by 3 of the afternoon, when he sent his last message to Lee, in these words: "I hope as soon as practicable to attack. I trust that an ever-kind Providence will bless us with great success."

Fitz Lee, who with a cloud of cavalry had been hovering around Hooker's front and right, and keeping Jackson's movement concealed by guarding every road that approached it, now met Jackson in person and led him to the summit of a hill, in an open field, whence he could look over the intervening forest and see Hooker's great army stretching away to the eastward, along and near the plank road, to Chancellorsville. Taking in at a glance the strategic as well as the tactic advantages of position that he had gained, Jackson, giving no heed to Fitz Lee's presence, hurried an aide to order Rodes to cross the turnpike and form at right angles to it, along the concealed front of the field of observation and through the forest to the left, with his right extended nearly to the Orange plank road, which was held by the Stonewall brigade. Colston's division was formed in rear of Rodes, in almost equal length of line of battle; two brigades of